Édouard Elias

After living for 10 years in Egypt, Édouard returned to France to attend university in 2009. He studied photography at the Écoles de Condé in Nancy, where an early fascination with war photography gave way to a new interest in the documentary work of photographers such as Lewis Hines, Walker Evans, Atget, and Alec Soth.

He first reported on conditions in a refugee camp in Turkey, then began photographing in Aleppo, Syria. Back in Paris, he struggled with photo editors who never returned his calls until the Getty Images agency showed faith in his work. His images have since appeared in Paris Match, Der Spiegel, and The Sunday Times Magazine.

In January and February 2013, Édouard worked for AFP in Syria alongside French photographer Olivier Voisin, who taught him how to move in the field and understand war zone situations. Voisin died in Turkey after being injured in Syria on 24 February.